December 2007

December 29, 2007

The last time the Mavs met the Hawks, Dallas got a rude awakening after their season-opening stomping of the Cavaliers. The upstart Hawks served the Mavs a 101-94 defeat in which they came on strong and outscored the Mavericks 33-25 in the fourth quarter. The Hawks broke a four-game losing streak against the Mavs in that win. They will face Dallas for the last time this season in today's game.

Break up the HawksDon't call them upstart anymore, because the Hawks are actually looking like a legitimate team for the first time in a long time. They have the fourth-best record in the East at 15-13 and have won five straight. During that five-game stretch, they are averaging 106 points per game and allowing 98.6. They have topped 100 points in three of their last four games after going on a streak of 15 games without scoring in triple digits. In other words: Atlanta is hot right now, and the Mavs had better be ready for a surprisingly explosive offense.

Marvin Williams can play after allThe Hawks have taken more than their fair share of flack for passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams in favor of Marvin Williams in the 2005 draft. For a team that has been in need of a solid point guard for some time, either one of those players would likely have lifted the Hawks up from lowliness and brought quite a bit more prosperity than they have experienced in the last two seasons. Pair that with Marvin Williams' slow development over his first two seasons, and the Hawks are more than tired of hearing about it. But, at long last, Williams is turning into a solid player. In those five-straight Hawks wins, Williams is averaging 20.6 points and 5.8 rebounds on 58 percent shooting. He's become a solid asset to a team that looks bound for the playoffs and even though the Hawks could use Paul or Deron Williams more, Marvin is looking pretty good. Speaking of needing a point guard...

Anthony Johnson is looking goodRemember when the Mavericks traded Anthony Johnson last season for a pick that ended up being Nick Fazekas? The Hawks were grilled yet again for trading a pick away for a player that didn't look to be worth the sacrifice. Funny thing is, Johnson has been a key part to the Hawks' current winning ways. In his last five games, Johnson is averaging 13.4 points, 8.2 assists and is shooting 52 percent from the floor. He is shooting the three well and is becoming the strong veteran distributor the Hawks need to make their system work.

December 27, 2007

Some of us are of the opinion that the Cavaliers were the worst team perhaps in history to reach the NBA Finals. Actually, when you look at the results last year, the Cavs were close in the last two games, losing by a total of only four points to the Spurs, although both games were in Cleveland.

LeBron James admits that he wasn't happy in the offseason when the Cavs did not make moves to improve the team, especially in light of the trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston.

James said tonight, however, that once the season starts and the rosters are set, you have your teammates and you're loyal to them. "I know these guys will play hard for me," James said after the Cavs 88-81 victory over the Mavericks.

And he was right. The Cavs dominated the boards by a count of 56-45 and it would have been worse had Dirk Nowitzki not grabbed 20 for Dallas.

After the game, James was asked about other Eastern teams and his confidence of getting back to the Finals, and he spoke like a defending champion.

"They have to come meet our standards," he said. "The regular season numbers
don't mean anything. You look at teams that won in the regular season, it doesn't matter
if you don't win in the postseason. We’ve won big game and know how to compete
in the postseason, so they’re a very good team in Boston, but the real season
doesn't start until the postseason."

Dirk finished tonight's game with 19 points and 20 rebounds. With one more point, it would have given him his first 20-point, 20-rebound game since May 19, 2006 in the Game 6 semifinal loss to the Spurs. He had 26 points and 21 rebounds in that game. He hasn't had one in the regular season since he had 25 points and 22 rebounds in a loss to the Lakers on April 3, 2003.

Here's the weird part: the Mavs are only 4-3 when Dirk goes 20-20. His first four were within seven weeks of each other in February-April of 2002.

Watching Drew Gooden run around the court with what looks like a bird's nest on his face brings to mind some of the great NBA beards of years past. Kareem, Earl Monroe, Connie Hawkins, Mark Eaton, Clyde Frazier. Those were great beards. Now, a non-comprehensive list of five bearded wonders currently playing in the NBA for your viewing pleasure.

Drew Gooden

It's obvious he's been working on that thing for some time, and it might be able to stand a little trim, but what's the fun in that? Not enough guys have beards in the league anymore, and Gooden is helping pick up the slack for all the baby-faced pretty boys out there.Verdict: It may be bushy, but it gets a thumbs up. It's almost like an afro on his face. One question, though: If an opponent's fingers accidentally get stuck in there and pull him down, is it a foul?

Baron Davis

He may be 28, but you'd think he was a 35-year-old veteran from that 70's throwback on his face. That beard wants to wear "The City" throwbacks every game and check out Sly Stone down at The Fillmore on off days.Verdict: With the kneepads and thick physique, the Baron of Davis has a fine beard that youngsters and grandpas everywhere can aspire to.

Pau Gasol

Gasol was merely a decent player before deciding to drop the razor a few years ago. Now he's one of the better big men on the league and has an FIBA gold medal and FIBA MVP to show for it. He's trimmed up since, so it isn't quite as mangy, but the look remains.Verdict: He trimmed it up, and thus gets minus points. Still, the Grizzlies had a "Beard Night" in his honor, that has to count for something.

Deshawn Stevenson

Supposedly Stevenson and Gooden have a contest going to see who can grow the biggest beard. Gooden is definitely winning. Still, Stevenson's is nice and is getting even more face time with Gilbert Arenas out with an injury. He might need some Rogaine or Chia formula if he wants to catch up with Gooden.Verdict: If we knew he wasn't in a contest with Gooden, it would get more plus points. But he's getting killed in that contest, so he doesn't get as many bonus points from us.

Peja Stojakovic

His beard may not look very impressive today, but just wait 30 minutes. The joke used to go around that he shaved during halftime and re-grew it before the post-game interview, and that surely hasn't changed with age. He probably grows more beard in one day than most players do in a month.Verdict: Peja gets the lifetime achievement award and is the envy of all those teenage boys who are trying to milk that half a mustache into being real facial hair. We salute you Peja. Now go shave.

In a brutal first half so far, the Mavs and Cavs have combined for some putrid shooting percentages. They are combining to shoot 33 percent, and both teams are missing open looks as well as taking some bad shots. The biggest offenders on both sides are also the biggest players. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is 1-5 and Dirk is 1-7. Josh Howard and LeBron James are the only ones making this halfway decent to watch.-Scooter Hendon

Gana Diop picked a bad time to get in Avery's doghouse. Now Avery won't say that's where Diop is, but the facts are that he's not playing much these days.

He said he doesn't feel as if his play has warranted such a decrease in playing time. Plus, this is a contract season for the 7-footer from Senegal. At this rate, he could be costing himself millions in a new deal.

He recently started a workout regime that had him running in the Mavs' practice gym and then doing quite a bit of core work and other exercises prior to the Thursday's game against the Cavs, his former team.

Perhaps Avery will use the matchup to insert Diop and see where his energy level and his passion -- oh, and his interior defense -- is at.

I find it interesting that for all the bashing Dirk Nowitzki has taken since the Golden State flop and then through a slow start to the season that had pundits declaring he was already off the MVP watch list, fans apparently have a different view of the Big German.

Dirk is third among West forwards in the newest tally of All-Star votes. Carmelo Anthony is first and Tim Duncan is second, but Dirk isn't far behind. It's even conceivable, perhaps not likely, but conceivable, that he could pass Duncan for second place and head to New Orleans in February as a starter.

Should it be surprising that Dirk is doing so well in the fan voting considering the playoffs and his admittedly slow start in November?

It's the beginning of a four-game home stand, which is the Mavs' final home stand that is longer than two games until March 6. Three of the games are against Eastern Conference teams that the Mavs shouldn't have problems with, but the third game is against Golden State, a team they have had well-documented troubles with.

After these four home games, 19 of their next 28 will be on the road, so this stretch could be crucial in positioning themselves to succeed over that road-intensive two months.

The Mavs will try to get back on track tonight after an up-and-down loss to the Utah Jazz last night. The Cavaliers (13-16) might be just what the doctor ordered. On opening night, the Mavs destroyed the Cavs 92-74 in one of the Cavaliers worst games of the season. The Mavs have now won three straight against Cleveland and 12 of their last 14. The Cavaliers have also lost seven straight road games. This will be the Mavs' final regular-season game against Cleveland.

LeBron tracking
The Mavs hassled LeBron into his worst game of the season in Game 1 with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists on 2-of-11 shooting. Of course, almost every game thereafter, he has responded with some really impressive MVP numbers and is now averaging a league-high 29.3 along with 7.7 assists and 7.2 rebounds. He was injured for five games in early December and has bounced back pretty well since. He is still putting up really high numbers, but they aren't quite as high as they were pre-injury. The Cavs lost all five games that LeBron missed, and have gone 4-4 since his return.

Varejao is backAfter missing the first quarter of the season due to a contract holdout, Brazilian forward Anderson Varejao was offered a contract by the Charlotte Bobcats, which the Cavaliers had the option to match since Varejao was a restricted free agent. Cleveland opted to match the offer, and Varejao has been on the floor for eight games now. His numbers may not be too impressive (8.1 points and 8 rebounds), but Varejao provides things that the Cavaliers desperately need. He provides depth and energy off the bench and is a very efficient player. He is also a solid defender, which is something the Cavs tends to lapse in during stretches.

Keep them out of the paintThe Cavaliers are a weak team when forced outside the paint. LeBron is almost always attempting to slash, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden like to set up shop there too. Cleveland is about middle-of-the-pack in three-point percentage, but can go on hot streaks. If they do get into the paint, the Mavs need to foul them. They are 25th in the league in free-throw percentage, and that is an advantage the Mavs should surely use in their favor.

December 26, 2007

The Mavs will try and make it five in a row tonight after a four-day Holiday rest. The Mavs won the last contest against Utah 127-117 about 2 1/2 weeks ago.

Trying to put something togetherWhen the Mavs won the last meeting, it was the third straight loss in what would end up as a six-game losing streak for the Jazz. With such a promising start at 13-5, it is shocking to see Utah go through such a disappointing stretch. They may have broken that six-game losing streak, but they have lost three of their last five and are barely above .500 and have relinquished their division lead to the Nuggets.Kirilenko scoring moreWith so many scoring options, it seems as if Johnny-on-the-spot player Andrei Kirilenko is doing more than defending and rebounding. In his last three games, he's averaging 17 points and shooting the three very effectively. He's a very athletic player that was a focal scorer in the past before Carlos Boozer got healthy and started to dominate, and this could be a sign of AK-47's scoring resurgence.

Control the field goalsAll 15 of Utah's wins this season have come when they have shot a higher field-goal percentage than their opponents. If the Mavs can put the Jazz on the line and keep them from dishing out easy assists, they'll probably have success.Random useless factCarlos Boozer once sued musician Prince over a dispute on the use of property owned by Boozer. The dispute was later settled.